Last May I finally paid off my current car, a 1996 Saturn. The car has about 85K miles and I expect it to last several more years. When I get ready to buy my next car, I'd love to pay cash, rather than finance it. My question: What is the best way to get to my desired goal of paying cash? The general rule of thumb for investing in equities is that if you need the money in less than 5 years, don't buy stocks. Stashing cash in a money market account at 1.75 percent interest doesn't seem to be the best bet. So what are my other options? Any suggestions?